Suchergebnisse

Never in the Republican period has a government so openly stolen from its people. The misappropriated funds in the form of various bribes and other kickbacks by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his ministers and businessmen close to them certainly go well beyond what has been revealed so far by anti-corruption investigations against several top leaders of the AKP - surveys which, since they opened on December 17, led to the resignation of four ministers and a broad reshuffle. These investigations must always be brought to term. But instead of answering the legitimate questions related serious evidence already made public, Prime Minister - is directly implicated - is doing everything to block the work of the investigators, not hesitating to organize purges in police and magistrates to mutate annoying. All this clearly shows that corruption is indeed a true system of power. As also evidenced by the fact that regulations on public procurement and tendering adopted in the framework of negotiations with the European Union has already been amended once to some 146 hands free to Erdogan and his family. In addition, calls for the most important deals are processed out of this yet already minimal regulation. Today, state institutions do not work - or, more precisely, they expect the words that fall from the mouth of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Adapted from the source document.

What started out as a demonstration by local residents opposed to plans to cut down trees in Gezi Park, a small green space next to Taksim Square in Istanbul, was transformed in a few fiery weeks into a vast protest movement which rattled the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in power since 2002. The Prime Minister's plans to radically transform the historic square reflected both the Islamist and consumerist aspects of his government's policy: a significant proportion of the park area was to be razed and replaced by a mosque and a huge shopping mall. Crowds of protestors flocked to the symbolic location, chanting slogans which went well beyond public planning issues to question the entire authoritarian system overseen by Erdogan. Following a brutal crackdown by police, an atmosphere of relative calm has returned to Taksim Square. But the situation is still volatile. Adapted from the source document.

As the French know only too well, political leadership split between a president and a prime minister from different sides of the political spectrum can make for a rough ride. Even so, the clash at the summit of Romania between the conservative president Traian Basescu and the social democrat prime minister Victor Ponta reached mind-boggling levels during the summer of 2012. The two men and their respective entourages unleashed a volley of fierce insults, each accusing the other of trying to take total control of the country's institutions. Luckily, following a series of elections that ended in a draw - Basescu survived a referendum to remove him before Ponta's party won the legislative elections - the belligerents ultimately worked out a modus vivendi. In this exclusive interview, Victor Renta affirms that the conflict that pitted him against the president is over and outlines his objectives for the coming years. Things seem to be returning, at last, to a modicum of normalcy. Adapted from the source document.

For the past ten years, Ahmet Davutoglu has played a pivotal role in Turkish diplomacy: first as adviser to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and now as Foreign Minister. Between them, the duo has revitalized Turkey's image and given it a leading role in regional and global affairs. From Iraq to Bosnia, from Haiti to Somalia, Ankara is always on the spot, either as a mediator or as a supplier of humanitarian aid. With its dynamic economy and active foreign policy, democratic Turkey is the envy and inspiration of every other Muslim country. Turkish diplomacy is at its most skilful in times of diplomatic crisis, and the interminable drama in Syria is one more chance for it to put its finesse to good use. Adapted from the source document.

Focuses on success of the pro-Islamic Welfare party (Refah) in the Dec. 24, 1995 general elections; how it exploits difficulties facing the urban "underclass" and the disillusioned middle class. Summaries in English p. 462 and Spanish p. 476.

In this exclusive interview, the Turkish Minister for European Union Affairs passionately defends the accession of Turkey to EU membership. However, negotiations still face the long-term problem of Cyprus: Ankara, which has occupied the northern part of the island since 1974, refuses to recognize the government in Nicosia, which it believes only represents Greek Cypriots. In other words, this project has very little chance of budging while Cyprus holds the Presidency of the EU Council, a term that started on July 1st. But to help overcome these roadblocks, in mid-May Turkey launched a 'positive agenda' designed to energize the membership process. Working groups are ready to look into subjects of common interest. At the same time, however, Turkish public opinion is slowly turning away from Europe. According to Egemen Bagis, this disenchantment is due to the many humiliations inflicted on his country. And yet, with Turkey posting impressive growth of 9% last year, perhaps it is the Old Continent that should be learning from its neighbor... Adapted from the source document.

Résumé Denis Sieffert, Michel Tubiana et Marc Semo ont chacun présidé une session du colloque organisé le 6 décembre 2007 à l'Assemblée Nationale par Hélène Flautre et Alain Lipietz, députés Verts/ALE au Parlement européen. Leurs interventions introductives dessinent en quelque sorte les jalons qui conduisent à la justice transitionnelle, l'objet de ce colloque. Car si l'impunité continue à prévaloir au sortir des périodes de crise au cours desquelles des crimes de masse ont été commis, c'est parce qu'elle est la conséquence d'une volonté politique qui vise à effacer le souvenir du passé douloureux pour mieux ressouder la communauté. Si l'amnésie-amnistie conditionne ainsi l'impunité, la nouvelle équation de la justice transitionnelle cherche à dépasser la contradiction apparente entre dévoilement de la vérité, justice rendue aux victimes et édification d'un nouveau contrat social…